Below is my daily devotional - I received this today and thought I'd share with all of you.  Going on this mission trip is, in all reality, performing a task for the LORD.  There are some days when I am tired and I do not want to do anything for anyone ... even the LORD ... He knows that and if I let Him, He will strengthen me and encourage me and motivate me back into blissful servitude!!  We all have something to do for the LORD ~ for some, it's a quick mission and for some, it might take an entire lifetime to accomplish ~ but whatever it is, "Always give yourselves fully to the work of the LORD, because you know that your labor in the LORD is not in vain. 
~1 Corinthians 15:58" 

Even though this is a woman's devotional, if you are a male reading this, it still most certainly applies to you as well.  Wherever there is reference to a female, below, just substitute the male equivalent,  I hope this encourages you today as it did for me.

June 28, 2012
Don't Quit!
Mary Southerland

Today's Truth
Galatians 6:9 "So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up."
Friend to Friend
A great pianist was scheduled to perform for a small country town. Everyone in the town was excited since they rarely had the opportunity to hear a famous musician. A young mother was especially excited. Her son had been taking piano lessons and showed great promise. However, he hated to practice. His mother was hoping that if her son saw the great pianist perform, he would be motivated to take his music more seriously.
The night of the concert finally arrived, and it seemed as if everyone in town had come. As the young mother settled her son in his seat, her attention turned to the crowd pouring in. Everyone was dressed in their finest, and a buzz of excitement filled the concert hall. No one noticed the little boy as he slipped out of his seat and made his way down the aisle toward the stage. No one noticed the little boy as he walked onto the stage, climbed up on the piano stool and began to play "Chopsticks."
The concert hall fell silent as every eye turned toward the stage. People began to yell, "Where is that child's mother? How did he get on stage? Somebody get him down immediately! This is so embarrassing for our town!" The guest artist was standing in the wings, getting ready to make his entrance when he heard the shouts and saw and heard the little boy. Grabbing his jacket, the great pianist ran onto the stage, came up behind the little boy and placed his masterful hands on the keyboard beside the hands of the small child. The little boy was startled but did not move as the man whispered in the boy's ear, "Don't stop. Don't quit. Keep going." As the little boy began to play again, the great pianist began to play as well, composing a beautiful counter melody to "Chopsticks."
I know some of you are ready to give up and quit. Some mountain is standing between you and the dream you thought was sure to become a reality. You think God has lost track of where you are and what you are going through. He hasn't, girlfriend.
I know you don't understand why a loving God would allow so much pain to saturate this broken world and perpetuate such loss and hurt. I don't either. But God's ways are so much higher than my ways, and His thoughts are for my eternal good – not my temporary comfort. I am banking on eternity. I am counting on the character of God and His heart of unconditional, unmerited and undeserved love. God's forgiveness gives me the strength to get out of bed each morning, and His peace is my comfort in the dark, lonely night. Like you, I sometimes ask God why He has allowed a circumstance to exist. I have questioned His favor and allowed fear and worry to make me doubt His plan. And I have to tell you that I can now look back and see so many of the question marks yanked into exclamation points in my life. I am so thankful that He said "no" to so many of the prayers I desperately wanted Him to answer with "yes." He is God. He is able and He is more than enough.
No matter where you are today, know He is with you and that His heart is for you. Don't quit. He is not angry with you. You are His daughter, the apple of His eye and His cherished child. Don't give up. Right now, surrender all of your pain to Him. Shed your tears, knowing He will collect them all and one day pour them back into your life as a refreshing rain of restoration and healing. Keep going. Ask your questions, knowing Heaven is not in a panic and that your God really is who He says He is and will do what He has promised to do. He simply waits for you to trust Him.
Let's Pray
Father, I come to You like a child. My faith is small and my strength almost gone. I am desperate for You. I don't understand what is happening in my life, and I am ready to give up. I want to quit. Please don't let me, Lord. Give me Your strength and hope for today. Help me to keep going, trusting You every step of the way.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.

Preparing with the Word

As we plan and wait to go on this mission trip to Honduras, there are steps that we take to prepare our hearts and minds for the work that we will do.  The most important thing is to have the Word of God deeply rooted in our hearts so that we will be able to "do all things through Him who gives us strength (Philippians 4:13)".  So, I search the Bible for verses that speak to me about the preparation necessary for my heart and mind.  I write these down on green index cards (to set them apart from the other index cards) and I read them and pray them and ponder them.  These are the very words of God and they strengthen me and encourage me ... I thought I'd share some of them with you and maybe you will be strengthened and encouraged as well.  If you have a verse you'd like to share with us, we'd love to know it! 

Stand firm.  Let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of the LORD, because you know that your labor in the LORD is not in vain.  ~1 Corinthians 15:58

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever ... Let those who fear the LORD say "His love endures forever."  ~Psalm 118:1, 4

You, O God, will never leave me.  Never will you forsake me. (Hebrews 13:5)  You are the only absolute guarantee I have in all of life.  Help me to cling to the one thing I can never lose.

You are my servant; I have chosen you and have not rejected you.  So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. ~ Isaiah 41:9b-10

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it."  ~Isaiah 30:21

But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.  ~1 Samuel 12:24

This is what the LORD says -
  he who created you, ...
  he who formed you, ...
      "Fear not, for I have
       redeemed you; I have
      summoned you by name;
      you are mine."
           ~Isaiah 43:1

Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.  ~Joshua 1:9

I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.  ~Philemon, verse 6

Father God, we thank You for the power of Your Word and we pray that when they receive it, when they hear it from us, that they will accept it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the Word of God and that it will be at work in those who will believe.  ~1 Thessalonians 2:13

Honduras Mission - Needs List

***LOOKING FOR ADDITIONAL MISSION PARTNERS - ASK YOUR FAMILY, FRIENDS, and NEIGHBORS!!!*** Needs List for Mission Trip to Honduras - If you or anyone you know is interested in donating one or more of these items, PLEASE let me know!!!  [if you'd like me to send you the list in .PDF format, just email me at prenderbergs@gmail.com]  ANYONE AND EVERYONE CAN BE A MISSION PARTNER - IT'S EASY!!!  GOD LOVES A GREAT BIG TEAM!!!

Childrens Chewable Vitamins (not gummy)
Acetaminopehn (Tylenol) - Adult Extra-Strength 500mg, Childrens and/or Infants
Antifungal Cream (Lotrimin, Clotrimazole)
Folic Acid
Antibiotic Creams (Neosporin, Clotrimazole)
Decongestant and Saline Nasal Sprays
Anti-Itch/Hydrocortisone Cream
Iron Tablets (ferrous sulfate)
Adult, Pre-Natal Vitamins
Cough/Cold Adult Tablets and Children's Liquid Cough/Cold
Allergy Meds (Claritin, Zyrtec, Loratadine, Benadryl capsules)
Acid Blockers (Pepcid, Prilosec, Zantac)
Vaseline - Large Jars
Naproxen (Aleve) - CRITICAL
Antacid Tablets (Tums, Malox)
Ziptop Plastic Bags (3'x3', 4'x4')-can be found at craft/hobby stores - CRITICAL
Lice Killing Shampoo - CRITICAL
Detangling Spray for Hair
Sterile Eye Drops (Saline)
Hair Pretties for Girls (head bands, barrettes, clips, ribbon)
Canon Easy Photopack E-P100 (Selphy ES) - CRITICAL
$50 per eye (cataract surgery)
$40 per trunk (airline charge for additional checked trunks to transport supplies)

Mission Meeting No. 5 - Skyping with Honduras

Hey there everyone!  I'm a little behind in posting this but we had our last "mission meeting" the same weekend as the Rummage Sale Fundraiser and our doggy dying and our baking frenzy, etc ... etc ... okay, you get the point!  I'm doing it now!

Our last meeting was on Sunday, June 10.  The meeting started off with a special surprise - - - SKYPING with the missionaries who are in Honduras, the missionaries who will host us and basically take care of us when we are in Honduras.  They are Helen and Jon Hovestol and you can learn more about them HERE.  (if you are receiving this post via email and you'd like to go to their website, copy and paste the following into your web browser - http://jonhelenhovestol.blogspot.com) 

They are originally from right here in Williams Bay, Wisconsin and God relocated them to Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Technology is pretty amazing ... and a little scary (to think what we are able to do) ... that we could see and hear them via the computer and it was practically as if they were right in the room with us. 

Pastor Matt got up and introduced himself and gave Jon and Helen the update on our HUGE Rummage Sale Fundraiser!

Paul also got up and spoke about the Brat Hut and Pizza Ranch Fundraisers that are coming up [Brat Hut, this Friday, June 29 outside Franks Piggly Wiggly - Come out and join us if you're able!!]

Several team members were able to get up, introduce themselves to Jon and Helen, ask questions, give updates or share what has been happening as we prepare to meet them in Honduras to serve the LORD. 

Not a whole bunch of photos for this post but still there is more to share with you. 

Jon and Helen were asked what their current needs are and this is what they shared with us:

1) At the moment, they were without electricity and water (because I am posting this late, this issue may have been resolved) so prayers for their utilities to continue to work properly are extremely appreciated.  Jon and Helen live in and work out of the location that we will stay at when we are in Honduras.

2) Jon and Helen have a home here in Wisconsin that they have been renting out; they now need a new renter as the previous one vacated.  However, they'd really just like to be able to sell their house so prayers for the sale of their home would also be appreciated.

3) Money for Bibles and literature - these are given out to Hondurans.  Each Bible costs $3.40 or a case of 24 Bibles costs $81.60.  If you or anyone you know would like to donate money so that Bibles can be purchased, please just let us know.  Donations are tax-deductible.  We also learned that in some instances, their is a surplus in contributions raised by mission team members.  When that happens, the excess money is used to purchase Bibles, pay for medicines and healthcare items, or any additional costs incurred at the airport for the crates that are being transported to Honduras. 

Someone asked Jon and Helen "What is the thing that we should learn/prepare for the most for our mission to Honduras?"

They responded that we should really be comfortable sharing our faith - realizing that Evangelism is the key to this mission trip, even though we will be greatly providing for the physical needs of many people.  They also said that it is helpful (but not necessary) to be familiar with a few Spanish phrases.  But Jon said that the most important thing for us as mission team members is to "come with a servant heart and know how to share that heart."

We were also given the "NEEDS" list for the Evangelical-Medical Team.  The list contains many of the items that we need to bring along with us to Honduras.  I am attaching the list below.  If you are interested in sending some of these items along with us, please let us know or if you know of organizations that would be willing to donate many of these items, that too is very good information to pass along.  You are co-team members with us and your participation in any and every way is vital to the success of the mission. 

**Special UPDATE**  We just found out tonight that our Rummage Sale Fundraiser is still taking in money!!  Several items were put on EBay and so far over $500 in items have been sold.  I do not know why I ever waste a single second on worrying ... my GOD surely ALWAYS supplies for EVERY NEED. 

I heard a song for the first time this weekend while I was driving; I really liked it!  The song is called All This Time and it's by Britt Nicole.  The line of the chorus that really struck me is this "You've been walking with me all this time".  I end this post with that thought ... I challenge each of you to go through your day trying to be aware of God walking with you every step of your day.  Whether you do it or not, He's still there; He's right there with you and He's rooting for you in all that you do.  How much more can you do knowing THAT?     

English          Spanish          Sounds Like

                                           Jesus Loves You               Jesus te ama           Hay-seuss tay ahmah

Medical Supplies         Suministros Medicos        Soo-meen-ee-stroes May-dee-coes

Bible                     Biblia                       Bee-blee-ah

Heaven                       Cielo                         See-ay-low

Earth                 Tierra               Tee-ay-rah

Sun                      Sol                         Soul

Moon                            Luna                               Loo-nah

Stars                               Estrellas                      Ay-stray-yas

Our GOD IS an Awesome God!

Hey Everyone! 

This past weekend was one of the most difficult and most inspiring weekends we’ve had; I am emotionally exhausted but I thought I better get this posted as some of you are waiting for the news!

First of all, we had to have our dog, Oliver, put down Friday afternoon. The medical issues he was experiencing were multiplying and he was in a lot of pain; due to his age and the growing monetary costs, we felt it best to fast forward to the inevitable. Now that’s he’s gone, honestly, I have really struggled with that decision and I miss him terribly (more than I even imagined possible)! I would appreciate your prayers in dealing with this as it is more difficult than I thought it would be.

On the flip-side of that sadness, God revealed Himself in an awesome way this weekend with the Rummage/Bake Sale that we held at our church!!  The money raised from the sale is to be divided up between the Honduras Mission Team members from Community Church of Elkhorn.

Here's Jenny hanging up the balloons to mark the festvities abounding!

There was so much STUFF!!!  There were tons of clothes … all sorts … and loads of toys (Playland for the kids)!!

All the items were organized by “type” and situated into categories; this helped out if someone was looking for something specific.

The Baked Goods went over wonderfully – everyone really enjoyed them and at the end of the sale, there was only a handful or less of the items left. We all got a sample of some of the items … they were yum-yum-good!

At the entrance to/exit from the church, we had complimentary lemonade, iced tea and water available. Each of the water bottles had a label, as shown below – pretty neat, huh?

Loads of people came to our sale! Here is our super-duper neighbor, Joyce!  She found some lovely matching items for her bathroom; we’re so glad you were able to visit our sale, Joyce! Thanks so much for all your support and encouragement! We really appreciate it!

Okay … here it is … the long-awaited photo of Ben in-action!  Ben was a great help to the customers as he offered them to take their new treasures to their vehicles. Some people really appreciated this because they went away with multiple bags full of assorted goodies!

Here we have a few of our gentlemen team members … waiting to be useful!

D+M, I just had to take a photo of this sheep-shaped pillow! I had to really restrain myself from purchasing it for myself!! Isn’t is cute?

This little guy was very pleased with his new treasure!

My sweet sister even visited us at our sale – so we got a photo just to prove it! She even scored a few items for herself too! Hey Sis, have you tried out the indoor kitchen grill??  And I just want you to know … in front of the whole world … how much I love you and SOOOoooo appreciate your on-going generosity – it has been so humbling and we ask God to bless you for your sacrificial support!!

In this photo, we photographed Hannah with her mom and her brother. Hannah is actually one of the team members going to Honduras. She is from the Calvary church and she went to Honduras last year and was the youngest team member. They came to our sale to show their support and to encourage us as well! We just love that!

Paul and Nancy, two of our CC of E team members, sporting our T-Shirts! Don’t they look good?

And here’s two more of our team members, sisters Sara and Claudia, cheerfully striking a pose next to our fundraiser poster! Sara and Claudia were awesome packers/baggers for our customers – way to go ladies!!

Then there is this photo of two sweeties!!! Of, course, you know our Molly-bug; she’s here with Pam who spearheaded the whole Rummage Sale event. She’s in charge of the Missions Committee at our church and she is a natural at this sort of thing! The Light of Jesus is not in short supply in her, that is for sure!!! Molly came to the event on Saturday and was a wonderful helper – she just got busy with whatever Pam had for her to do! That’s the way, Molly, … you set a wonderful example for all of us to follow!

Then there was this lovely lady! Her name is Linda and she came through the sale pretty much like everyone else but we found a connection as we conversed because she actually owns a business that provides tools for the visually impaired. Well, because Brian's sister is visually impaired we spoke with her for a bit and, of course, Molly charmed her way right into Linda's heart, I think.  It was really nice talking to her and she ended up purchasing one of the purses and an extra one for Molly!  Molly was overjoyed!

Lots 'o Shoppers!

This boy was thoroughly enjoying his cupcake from the bake sale! 

 He was so fun to watch as he practically shoved the whole cupcake to his face each time he wanted a taste. So sweet ...

Take a look at these crazy cats!  This is Richard and his son, Dave ~ they decided to sport a few of the Navy hats that were for sale.  Not bad, huh?  It's official ... good sports they are!

Our sale was a huge success and a it was so nice to be a part of something that so many put their hearts into.  Many people helped with the preparations and set-up for the sale, many more helped to "work" the sale (greeters, shopping assistants, baggers/boxers, transporters, cleaners, ... you name it ... I could have taken so many more photos of all the "workers" and I apologize for those that I missed but so thankful to everyone for the huge efforts!!!

At the end of the two days, they locked me into the church office (ha-ha-ha -- I'm not joking) to count the giant wad of cash that we had accumulated. 

It took me a while but I was able to sort out all the money, put it into stacks of $100 and come up with a total.  Do you want to know how much money was raised for the mission team going to Honduras??

Are you sure you're ready for this???  The Community Church of Elkhorn's Annual Rummage/Bake Sale raised $2,700.00 in two days!  Can you believe it???  Now that's what I'm talking about!!  God is doing some serious business and it is so awesome to be a part of it!!!  We are so excited to see what God does next!  Thank-you to all of you for sharing this experience with us, for supporting us and for being a part of this ministry to serve the LORD and the people of Honduras. 

Thank-you, LORD, for Your provisions, for Your faithfulness and for Your love!  We are honored to be Your witnesses and the vessels of Your Light!

Baking Extravaganza ... Part Two

So, are any of you aware that when "we" try to do something "good", something to bring honor and glory to the LORD, our God ... that the enemy, Satan, tries to mess it up and prevent it from happening ???  It's true ... I've experienced this multiple times ... and it is happening this week!!  Does it ever happen to you that you are aware of?

Yesterday, we let you know that our dog, Oliver, is not feeling well and today he took a turn for the worse.  He did not go to the "bathroom" at all today and still would not eat.  He would drink a little bit of water here and there but each time he did that, he would just vomit it back up.  He didn't move all day and when I tried to take him outside, he just collapsed a few feet from the door and would not move.  If I tried to move him or when I picked him up, he would groan; I felt horrible for him.  We took him to the vet and after a little more than an hour, we had to leave him there to have an IV run for fluids and anti-vomiting medicine, as well as pain meds, to be administered.  An x-ray was done to check if anything was blocking in his system and blood was drawn to rule out severe maladies such as liver or kidney failure. 

It turns out that Oliver has pancreatitis and we should know within a day or two if things will turn around for him. He's staying overnight and may even need to stay a second day as well.  Needless to say, tension was high and all the stress-points were flaring for the Prender-berg household ... again! 

It was about an hour past our usual dinner time and we hadn't even prepared it yet ~ so we had to think quickly and come up with an alternate because we were HUNGRY!  Frozen pizza ... good idea!

After we ate, we quickly got started on our pies ... Caramel Pecan Pies, to be exact!  Does that sound yummy to you???  Oh, let me tell you ... caramel pecan pie IS yummy!

We started combining ingredients and preparing the pie crusts, started the oven up again and away we went ...

Then, we forgot that we were getting low on eggs and in order to make four caramel pecan pies, we need 12 eggs.  We only had ten left!  Thankfully, my wonderful husband had the great and swift idea of having Molly run next door and see if our neighbor had any eggs to spare for the cause (while we continued to mix up the other ingredients).  Like a bolt of lightening, Molly went next door and borrowed two eggs from our "Save-the-day-SUPER-DUPER" neighbors!  Thanks, Joyce and Rick!!!  You continue to be such a blessing to us as we prepare for our mission to Honduras!

And then, forgetfulness was upon us again and we missed taking photos of the beginning of the pie-making!  The nerve, ... I know!  [It's been like this all day!  You should have seen me (Kimberly) at the bank this afternoon - I'm sure they thought I should not be handling any sort of monetary transactions]  Oh well, tomorrow is a new day!!!

So, here we are adding the pecans to the pie-filling. (this is nearly the last step-sorry about that folks!) In order to make four pies, we must add the entire bag of pecans!

Here's Molly preparing the pie crusts ... our little Brynn was on camera-duty again; she really does a nice job (though, I couldn't possibly subject you to ALL of the photos that she took :-D) 

After all of the ingredients are combined and the pie crusts are rolled out, we pour the mixture into the pie crusts. 

Tell me, does that look yummy or what??  That is a smooth and creamy, with a little bit of nutty, bit of heaven right there!!!  Oh, how I wish you could smell the scent of Caramel Pecan Pie baking in my kitchen ... so because of my forgetfulness, I didn't tell you in the beginning that each pie takes 36 (unwrapped) Kraft caramels!!!  NO KIDDING!! 

Bake for 55 minutes ... oh boy ~ get ready for a treat!!!

The pies did get baked - we completed the task ... we overcame and that is exactly how it is supposed to be.  Our work for the LORD will not be in vain and the enemy will not succeed in thwarting the good plans HE (God) has for us!!

So, in keeping with the spirit, today's Spanish words are brought to you by our "Fundraising-Baking-Extravaganza"!!

English                      Spanish               Sounds Like

Yummy                     Sabroso                 Sah-broe-so

Caramel                    Caramelo               Ker-ah-may-low

Sweet                        Dulce                   Dull-chay   

Baking                      Cochura                Co-chur-ah

Eggs                          Huevos                 Hway-voes

Pecan                        Pacana                  Pah-cah-nah

Forgetful                   Olvidadizo           Ohl-vee-dah-dee-zoe    (this one is for fun and its kind of a tongue-twister!)

Prevail/Overcome    Triunfar                Tree-oon-fahr

Baking Extravaganza - Part One

Hey Everyone!  Our first fundraiser is this weekend! 

I (Kimberly) made this poster to put out at the fundraising events held - I just finished it, with time to spare - WHEW!!

So, what do you think?

You may remember, the first fundraiser is a giant rummage sale (with a bake sale on the side) at our church, the Community Church of Elkhorn; it will be held this weekend, Friday and Saturday.  So, tonight we started on a little baking-spree in the Prender-berg household!  Ben had to work tonight ... so he got out of helping BUT he WILL be at the sale this weekend helping out so I may finally get a photo of him in action!

Molly-bug was in charge of the Chocolate Chip Cookies!

She just loves to help out in the kitchen and she especially likes to help bake ... her favorite part is the taste-testing!

She really is a natural in the kitchen.  This could prove to be quite advantageous to the Prender-berg household.

Kimberly was in charge of the Cranberry Scones ... mmm, mmm, mmm ... I just love making scones!!

The dough is rolled out and measured to 2cm exactly, yes, I even use a ruler!

They are so fun to make and even more fun to taste-test and by the way, the one that we tested (we shared, of course) was so yummy!  Brian says he really enjoyed seeing how much I was enjoying my bit of scone.  Yes, folks, ... scones make me REALLY happy!

Brian took charge of making the "No-Bake" Peanut Butter Coco Cookies!

We got this recipe from Colleen, our mission trip leader; she served them one evening when we were making bracelets.  They are really yummy and quite simple to make ... well, at least Brian says so. 

You might be wondering if Brynn had a part in our baking extravaganza ... she sure did!  Can you guess? 

She was the official photographer!  Didn't she do a nice job with these photos?? 

Pretty soon I won't be the only camera-freak in the house - I have two little "wanna-be's" trailing close behind.

For the first part of our bake-fest, we did pretty well with about 72 chocolate chip cookies, 40 cranberry scones and about 50 of the "no-bake" cookies ~ WOW!!!  Can you practically taste them??  If you're in the area, stop by and pick up a treat for yourself!  Tell a friend ~ friends like treats too!

Part Two to come ... PIES!!!

Our evening was pretty exciting and a little hectic at times so I'll just share with you that our dog, Oliver, has not been feeling well for over a week now.  In between baking excitement, we had a few episodes of panic and shouting because of his sudden onsets of vomiting.  **Disclaimer - No Worries; this in no way affected the baked goods!**  He has been vomiting frequently and in the last day and a half, we've had to withhold food and water per Vet's instructions.  When we could start feeding him later in the day today, he would not touch the food (even when we tried to cheat and give him something we thought might really tempt him).  He is now drinking some water but he's just not himself and we're pretty concerned.  He also seems like he might be having some sort of dizzy spell or exhaustion ... not really sure ... but he has lost his balance ?? and fallen over three times in the last couple days and had trouble getting up.  Your prayers for our doggy and for wisdom for us would be appreciated.